Mighty Monarchs XII (Sicily) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Roger of Hauteville

Roger I (r. 1072-1101 AD) and his older brother (Robert Guiscard) were the sons of Tancred of Hauteville. They arrived in southern Italy (c. 1050 AD) as mercenaries to make their fortunes. Robert was created duke of the newly formed Duchy of Apulia by Pope Nicholas II (1059 AD). Roger was created Count of Sicily (1072 AD) before the reconquest of the island was completed (Syracuse fell in 1085 AD).

In 1089 AD Roger married the formidable Adelaide of Salona. He was succeeded by his eldest son Simon (r. 1101-1105 AD) with Adelaide as regent.

Answer: Roger II

Count Roger II (r. 1105-1154 AD) was crowned king of Sicily (Dec 25, 1130 AD) by the anti-pope Anacletus II. Roger had promised to support Anacletus during the schism which split the Papacy (the Roman Schism of 1130-1138 AD). After the defeat of Anacletus, Pope Innocent II, the victor, was forced to recognize Roger's crown (and power).

He received full authority over the Church of Sicily in exchange for Sicily becoming a Papal fief. In 1146 AD, after a quick campaign into north Africa, he captured Tripoli. Between controlling the northern tip of Africa, the island of Sicily, and his territories in southern Italy, Roger created a powerful commercial empire by controlling the middle Mediterranean trade routes.

In 1147 AD he went to war with the Byzantine Empire (he desired to extend his influence by conquering valuable territory in southern Greece).

He was succeeded by his eldest son William I, the Bad (r. 1154-1166 AD).

Answer: William II, the Good

William II (r. 1166-1189 AD) was the son of the bad William.

Answer: Tancred, Count of Lecce

Tancred (r. 1190-1194 AD) had a turbulent reign. Shortly after assuming the throne he ran afoul of Richard I Lionheart, King of England. Once in Sicily Tancred had imprisoned Joanna, widow of William II and sister of Richard. More irksome to Richard was the fact that Tancred had seized the money that William II had left as a legacy to his father-in-law (Henry II - Henry had died on Jul 6, 1189 AD shortly after William) and Richard demanded the money to help fund the Third Crusade.

After settling their differences they became allies against a common enemy - Henry VI (see answer below). Tancred died in Feb 1194 AD and was briefly succeeded by his son William III (r. 1194 AD).

Answer: Henry VI

Henry (r. 1194-1197 AD) had been aggressively pressing his wife's claim to the throne of Sicily throughout Tancred's reign. The alliance between Tancred and Richard stirred up political troubles for Henry in his capacity as Holy Roman Emperor, for Richard was the brother-in-law of Henry, the Lion, Duke of Saxony and rival of the emperor in Germany.

This alliance with Tancred would have consequences for Richard later (see Mighty Monarchs VI, question 3 for further details).

Answer: Frederick II

Upon his father's death in 1197 AD Frederick automatically assumed the throne of Sicily but the German nobles, fearful of the political chaos of a child-emperor, elected his uncle, Philip of Swabia, as emperor (the Papacy supported someone else - but that is for another quiz). Frederick married Yolanda (sometimes Isabella), daughter of John I, King of Jerusalem, on Nov 19, 1225 AD (see Mighty Monarchs IX, question 9 for further details).

Answer: Conrad IV

Conrad (r. 1250-1254 AD) mainly concerned himself with his interests as Holy Roman Emperor. His death (May 21, 1254 AD) led to the Great Interregnum in the Holy Roman Empire (1254-1273 AD) but his son, Conradin, became king of Sicily (but in reality in name only).

Answer: Henry III

The unsuccessful enterprise (known as the 'Sicilian Business') had dire consequences for Henry. To finance his son's claim to the throne of Sicily he was forced to levy higher taxes which only heightened existing grievences between the king and the English nobility (led by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester and brother-in-law of the king).

The English Baron's War erupted in 1263 AD and put an end to Henry's 'Sicilian Business.'

Answer: Manfred

Manfred (r. 1258-1266 AD) had assumed the crown because there needed to be an adult on the throne to protect it from the Papacy. His mother was Bianca Lancia of Loreto. Enzo and Frederick of Antioch were also illegitimate sons of the great Frederick II.

Answer: Charles, Count of Anjou

Charles I (r. 1266-1285 AD) was very unpopular with the Sicilians (almost much so as the dreaded German kings). Finally the Sicilians had had enough and on Mar 30, 1282 AD a general uprising began in Palermo which soon spread throughout the island. This began what is known as the 'War of the Sicilian Vespers' (the church bells summoning the faithful to vespers had been the signal to begin the revolt).

The Sicilians offered the crown to Peter III, King of Aragon, as the husband of Manfred's daughter (Constance). Peter initially held the island and Charles held the Sicilian territories in southern Italy.

They both died before the end of the war but their successors continued fighting over the kingdom til 1302 AD. The Treaty of Caltabellotta (Aug 31, 1302 AD) laid the foundations for the often titled 'Kingdom of Two Sicilies.' Frederick, the youngest son of Peter, retained the island and the title 'King of the Island of Sicily' while Charles of Salerno (son of Charles I) retained southern Italy (centered in Naples) and retained the title 'King of Sicily' (thus the two Sicilies).

Their successors always sought to regain the other's territory until the split became permanent (Peace of Aversa in 1372 AD).